tci2013 innovation drivers of logistics clusters

Innovation Drivers of Logistics ClustersThe cases of Aragon and The Netherlands South West & FlandersYari Bolbon-Galvez

Academic Summit: Innovation and business models in clusters

5 September 2013

www.socool-logistics.eu

Innovation Drivers of Logistics ClustersThe cases of Aragon and The Netherlands

South West & Flanders

Yari Borbon-GalvezZaragoza Logistics Center

Meng LuDutch Institute for Advanced Logistics

3-6 September 2013

Kolding, Denmark

TCI conference 2013: Designing the future - Innovation through strategic partnerships

www.socool-logistics.eu – [email protected]

Outline

Introduction Literature Methodology Preliminary findings

Aragon Region The Netherlands South West & Flanders (Belgium) Inter-clusters fields of actions

Conclusions Future research


Introduction

Profits

Inland water transportPost and courier activities

Warehousing Maritime

Profits

Eastern EU

Belgium, Spain, and The Netherlands

Operating costs

Since 1999

Cost focus

Low profit

No Investment

No Innovation

innovative softwarelogistics conceptsbusiness models

Knowledge spilled over

ProximateCo-located logistics

and related firms Logistics clusters


Introduction (Logistics clusters)

To access externalities: Knowledge, skills, scale, and cross-innovation From: proximate or co-located logistics operators and intensive logistics firms

Risk: Lack of technological heterogeneity Way forward: learning from outside the cluster

Exploiting externalities from inter-cluster relationshipsLogistics Virtual Clusters

Complementary and cognitively proximate firms, research institutes, education institutions, authorities, and agencies (despite not being geographically proximate)

SoCool@EU cases e.g.: Aragon Region The Netherlands South West & Flanders (Belgium)


Literature(Innovation, Business Models & Externalities)

Innovation Industrial and evolutionary economists

(Freeman and Soete, 1997; Dosi & Nelson, 1994; Abernathy and Clark, 1985; von Tunzelmann & Wang, 2003)

Resource-based view (Teece, Pisano, & Shuen, 1997; Lamming, 2000)

Organisation and knowledge theories (Senge, 1990; Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995; Lichtenthaler & Lichtenthaler, 2009)

Geographical economists (Storper, 1993; Cooke, 2001)

‘A variation in a product, process, service, technology or system that is recognised by the market through economic transactions’

Main drivers for logistics(Flint, Larsson, Gammelgaard, & Mentzer, 2005; Grawe, 2009; Porter, 2000, Raschke, 2009, SoCool@EU D2.1, 2013)

Increasing or sustaining market shares, Increasing range and quality of product,

processes, services, technologies, and systems and replacing the old ones

Reduce the time to respond to customer needs

Reduce costs Enter new markets Reduce environmental impacts Meet regulatory requirements Improve health and safety



Efficiency externalities Price mechanisms (prices charged to customer) Cost mechanisms (input costs) Cooperation mechanisms (Joint projects) Scale mechanisms (market size and skills availability)

Innovation externalities Vertical mechanisms (supply chain knowledge flows) Horizontal mechanisms (similar sector knowledge flows) Size and diversity mechanisms (diversity of customer base engaged in

project development and of HR with variegated specialised skills)

(Johansson, 2005; Karlsson, 2008)



Logistic services business models Classified by:

Type of service (1PL, 2PL, 3PL, 4PL) (Ojala, Andersson, & Naula, 2008 Architecture (traditional, networked, outsourced, so on) (Neubauer, 2011) Revenue and profitability generation strategies???

Business models (revenue and profit generation) Service sectors in general (EPISIS Final Report Task 2, 2011)

– DBFO– Performance fees– Resources sharing

No previous application of this BM concept to describe logistics operations Why do business models matter?

If cluster or project managers do not understand how revenues and profits are generated, then complementing different firms’ business models driven by innovation to exploit externalities is being left to serendipity.



Hence, the likelihood of success of inter-cluster collaborative projects and setting ‘Logistics Virtual Clusters’ increases given the following conditions: The projects are based upon exploiting externalities Managers identify the project partners’ business models The projects are built upon compatible business models of the different partners Managers monitor and set the mechanisms to make sure partners’ business

models do not compete against the projects’ business models. How do we identify their business models?

Cases of Aragon Region (AR) and The Netherlands South West & Flanders (Belgium) (NSW&F)


Methodology

Four stages: Identifying the research questions

SoCool@EU project, literature review, and emerging concepts Cases selection and developing instruments for data collection

SoCool@EU partners (AR and NSW&F): – Similar regional importance of the logistics clusters, and different performances

Data collection instruments– Online questionnaires, face to face interviews, firms and experts forums, and desk

research. Data collection from January 2012 to August 2013 Organisation, analysis and presentation of the data and results.


Preliminary findings

Supporting logistics clusters is strategic for the Aragon Region (AR) and The Netherlands South-West & Flanders (NSW&F) since companies planned to drive down costs and handle and deliver value taking advantage of the agglomeration economies.

Aragon Region (AR) since early 80s and consolidated in the mid-2000s.

The Netherlands South-West & Flanders (NSW&F) started earlier and consolidated in the 2000s.

Our findings: There are complementary drivers and business models leading build upon for logistics inter-cluster collaboration for innovation, thus to set up a “logistics virtual cluster”.


Schumpeter CenterGoethe University Frankfurt


Preliminary findingsAragon Region

Location GDP per-capita 14% higher than EU average Low population and logistics employment density Logistics: Rail, Air, Road Transport, Dry Port connected to Barcelona and

Valencia. Externalities

Increasing prices, lowering costs, releasing resources for investments Cooperation externalities is common with supply chain partners, and horizontal

collaboration is only emerging Low scale economies in the region, but the area of influence of the business

operations of the cluster includes Spain and Europe. There is a skills gap of 25% in the cluster.

Knowledge flows solutions development projects: 60% the supply chain, 30% from end users, 35% competitors, 50% informal contacts (networking), and 30% R&D Institutes .



Innovation barriers of inter-cluster collaborations 57% Costs 46% Demand uncertainty 29% Limited finance 29% Lack of culture 17% Length of the projects 14% Emerging followers 11% Lack of right skills 9% Dominant firms do not facilitate projects 6% Deficient information 6% non reliable cooperation partners 0% lack of know how

Implication: amortisation time of the project to allow know how to take effect

Time!



Business models

Company/projects

Performance based

Shareholding

Guaranteed savings

Resources sharing/reduction

Horizontal collaboration/ Joint Ventures

Design

Build

Finance

Operate

Risk and Venture

Lease/Transfer

Pay per service

PLAZA, PLATEA, PLFRAGA, PLHUSPublic-Private Partnerships logistics platforms distributed in various locations in AR. Profits for selling at over the costs prices or leasing at price/time long enough for investments amortisation.

Grupo Sesé4PL operations with “non-contractual” guaranteed savings upon which fees are reviewed for better terms and conditions for the company. Road transportation with fees adjustable according to KPI performances agreed a priori between the company and the client. Clients’ outsources value adding services for a fixed fee handled by the company generating extraordinary profits by identifying continuous cost reductions with the same quality delivered by the company.

Apyl-(Inditex)Apyl is an Original Design Manufacturer of minor processes for Inditex, also it designs and manufactures its own textiles. 90 % of its business is to handle, warehouse and manage logistics of outsourced textile from Inditex. It is a horizontal collaboration whereby Inditex and Apyl built an underground tunnel connecting their facilities for accelerating their logistics operations and solve the warehousing and stocks needs of Inditex. Apyl profits from its extraordinary stable relationship with its client, and reduces its costs with the reduced logistics operations throughout its underground connected facilities.

ALIALogistics cluster for formed to respond to the specific project needs of its members. Projects so far requested by its members are joint purchasing for scales economies and reduced prices for its members (e.g. multi-client trains), national and international inter-cluster collaboration (e.g. SoCool@EU) for better access to participate in ground breaking inter clusters companies projects


Preliminary findingsThe Netherlands South West & Flanders (Belgium)

NSW&F Cluster = Logistics Geographical position as gateway to Europe Excellent Mainports (Rotterdam, Antwerp) Excellent Hinterland Connections (road, rail, barge, short sea) Logistic Service Providers (1PL-4PL) Legislative framework & customs High level of knowledge



Drivers for absorptions of efficiency and innovation externalities of the logistics clusters Price and cost efficiencies externalities: (very) good Scales economies efficiencies externalities: high importance for the economic

welfare; lacks of image of a fast-moving, innovative industry Knowledge flows externalities: broad logistics experience, although labour

problems remain



Barriers for absorption of efficiencies and innovation externalities Economic factors Costs of innovation Profit margins are shrinking (as LSPs cannot transfer the increased

operating costs to their customers)



Emerging business models in the NSW&F More than 40 R&D/demonstration projects and national initiatives since

2000 Triple-helix involvements Covers all business models factors


Preliminary findingsInter-cluster fields of action

Based on their capabilities and potentially compatible business models, the AR and NSW&F had defined 6 fields of action which may lead to the development of a logistics virtual region: Advanced Supply Chains and ICT Cluster Development and Internationalisation Green Logistics Intelligent hubs Knowledge transfer and valorisation Urban logistics

Emerging business model: Resources and knowledge sharing, mainly horizontally, and with design,

build and operation of pay per service interoperable infrastructures (incl. software).


Conclusions

AR and NSW&F developing logistics virtual cluster Suitable business models:

Performance based, shareholding with independent operations, resource sharing and reductions, horizontal collaboration/joint ventures, and pay per service

Business models requiring substantial support: BDFO, Risk and Venture, and Lease/Transfer

Exploiting externalities AR benefiting from the scales economies in the NSW&F NSW& from the price and cost efficiencies externalities in AR Both regions can add their strengths in cooperation efficiencies,

specialised human resources, and horizontal flows of knowledge.


Future research and implications

Future research Interviews with companies engaging in specific inter-cluster collaboration projects,

the company business models, and the way they expect business models to be defined in the collaborative project.

Implications Practical: understanding of how can inter-cluster collaborative projects

developments be driven to success Managerial/Strategic: project managers are able to monitor the evolution of the

business models to maximise the externalities exploitation based on optimisation of the relationships between the inter-cluster project business models and the firm’s own business model

Scientific: evidence based research of business models life-cycles Cluster policies: Capacity building on supporting mechanisms of clusters and inter-

cluster development initiatives. E.g. Business models requiring substantial support.

www.socool-logistics.eu

Thanks for your attention!

Yari [email protected]

tci2013 innovation drivers of logistics clusters

Business

projects business models

business models revenue

compatible business

literature innovation

sure partners business

future innovation

externalities managers

logistics flint